SOS to expand Rochester Recovery Center

ROCHESTER — SOS Recovery Community Organization will be expanding its space in the First Church Congregational to continue serving the recovery community and meet the increasing need for peer recovery support service.

SOS Recovery Community Organization is partnering with First Church Congregational to expand the space at its Rochester center from 500 to 2,000 square feet. In addition it will also expand its hours of operation.

“In recent months we have seen an overwhelming demand for peer recovery support services and increased traffic at our Rochester SOS Center. This has prompted us to seek additional space as well as expand our hours of operation in Rochester,” said John Burns, director of SOS RCO. “Thanks to the successful partnership with the church we’ve had since opening in September of 2016, we will be able to remain in our same location while expanding our current space into a larger congruent space within the church. This will allow us to better serve the recovery community and enhance current services and programs.”

Burns said the hours of operation will also be expanding one hour a day. Beginning Feb. 18, the center will be open from 9 a. m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Our partnership with the Rochester community, and particularly the church, over the past 17 months has worked exceptionally well and we are grateful that they have worked so cooperatively with us to meet the needs of the recovery community and continue to meet our mission,” said Burns.

A program of Goodwin Community Health, the mission of SOS Recovery Community Organization, is to reduce stigma and harm associated with substance misuse by providing safe space and peer based supports for people in all stages of recovery.

“We had over 3,000 volunteer hours in 2017, over 1,400 visits to the Rochester center with 145 new unique visitors. In January alone we had more than 550 attendees, many who attend numerous meetings and programs each week, at recovery focused meetings, programs and events at the Rochester SOS site, said Elizabeth Atwood, Capacity Building Specialist for the center. “This expansion also allows us to continue providing critical crisis resources for the city of Rochester and the community. In 2017 we navigated emergency crisis response for over 225 individuals who came to the center requesting help with immediate substance use disorder treatment, mental or medical health supports, or housing and we’ve partnered with on-site staffing from the statewide Regional Access Point Services program through Granite Pathways.”

According to Atwood, each center offers a variety of programs, events and services for multiple pathways to recovery including peer recovery coaches, telephone recovery supports, meetings and special programs ranging from art and music in recovery to bowling and rock climbing.

“Since opening our doors in September 2016, we have seen tremendous growth in Rochester, and this additional space will help us meet the increasing need in Rochester and surrounding area as well as provide additional programming to support the recovery community,” said Atwood. “Those utilizing our center range from those who are trying to find recovery and those who may have a day or two in recovery to those with long-term recovery. All provide peer supports to each other. This additional space will help us to continue to support these individuals who are improving their lives and making enormous contributions back to the community around us.”

For more information about SOS RCO call 603-841-2350 or visit the website at www.sosrco.org.